


Making It Work

by fangirlingtodeath513



Category: Supernatural
Genre: 25 days of dates, Adopted Children, Adoption, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bottom!Cas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Smut, Consensual Somnophilia, M/M, Oral Sex, Somnophilia, Top!Cas, bottom!Dean, switch!cas, switch!dean, top!dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-18 10:59:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13098684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirlingtodeath513/pseuds/fangirlingtodeath513
Summary: Dean, intent on working his way up to the head of the ER, and Castiel, the owner of a brand new, successful bakery, have barely had time to breathe, let alone make time for each other. They've got a solution, but it'll take a lot of work to pull it off. 25 dates in the first 25 days of December shouldn't be too overwhelming, should it?Or, the Christmas fic that got way out of hand and ended up being much fluffier and smuttier than intended. 25 Destiel dates in 25 days.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Whoops this got much longer than I meant for it to. Too late now! I've never written anything even remotely smutty in any of my fics before, so suspend your disbelief of anything weird or awkward cause I'm a complete newbie when it comes to this. Also I have never adopted a child or known anyone who adopted a child (as far as I know) so all the things in here are completely unrealistic. 
> 
> Anyway, Merry Christmas/Happy (insert the holiday you celebrate)! Hope you all have an awesome time and got lots of good presents and awesome memories with the people you love.

Saying the Winchesters are busy would be the understatement of the year. Dean’s focused on working his way up to the head ER doctor position in the hopes that he’ll have more free time once he gets it. Castiel just opened the doors to his very own bakery in March, and much to his delight, it was still busy day in and day out. He often worked from five in the morning until six at night, between all the prep work that needed to be done in the mornings and the cleanup at night after a day of baking and selling fresh products. More often than not, he was bone tired and barely able to eat anything that resembled an actual dinner, much less give any attention to his husband. Dean had tried to convince him to hire more employees so he didn’t have to work so many hours, but until recently, Castiel hadn’t found anyone adequate enough. Their mutual friend, Charlie, was more than happy to work during the day, and Castiel had recently hired two nineteen-year olds to work a five to eleven shift. He’d trained them in the prep work for three weeks, and this was the first day he was leaving them on their own to see how it went.

 

Despite his anxiety about it, here he was, sitting at his dining room table at nine in the morning, his hands curled around a warm cup of coffee. It’s been a long time since he’s seen the house in the daylight and, quite frankly, it was disgusting. His recipes were strewn around the living room, along with a few of Dean’s patient files. Both of them had at least three different pairs of shoes piled next to the door, and two different jackets thrown over the back of the couch. There was mud in the entrance hall and nearly everything was covered in a thin layer of dust. He supposes that’s what happens when no one’s ever around to disturb it. He heaves a sigh and convinces himself to finish his coffee first, letting the warmth of the liquid sink into his bones. He sets the cup in the sink a few minutes later, surveying the downstairs. He settles on the dishwasher first, putting the clean dishes away in the cabinets and loading the dirty ones into the dishwasher, putting soap in it and starting it.

 

The living room gets his attention next. He hangs their jackets on the rack in the entrance hall, organizing their shoes and cleaning up the mud quickly. He puts his recipes in his binder, closing Dean’s files and leaving them in a neat pile on the coffee table.

 

By eleven, he’s washed the sheets on their bed and remade it, cleaned the bathrooms upstairs and the half bath downstairs, and double-checked that all the smoke detectors were working. He dresses quickly in dark jeans and one of Dean’s band t-shirts, making his way back to the kitchen. He makes sure the child lock on his drawer of baking utensils still works, along with the one on the silverware drawer.

 

At twelve on the dot, he hears the front door open and a pair of heavy boots being kicked off and placed on the mud mat.

 

“Cas?” A smile spreads across his lips at the sound of his husband’s voice, his shoulders sagging a bit in relief.

 

“In the kitchen.” He hears fabric rustling and, a moment later, his favorite sight walking around the corner and into the kitchen. Dean smiles and slides his arms around Castiel’s waist, pulling the smaller man into a gentle hug.

 

“Hi, hon. How was your morning?” Castiel smiles at the endearment, hugging Dean back.

 

“Good. I cleaned everything up and made sure all the safety stuff was working. Even had time to actually sleep in.” Dean gasps in mock (or perhaps not so mock) jealousy.

 

“Sleeping in? Look at you, hotshot. Bet that was nice.” Castiel hums happily, pressing a gentle kiss to Dean’s temple.

 

“It was, actually. You should try it sometime.” Dean simply chuckles in response, pulling away enough to capture Castiel’s lips with his own in a gentle kiss.

 

“We should have some lunch. Hm? Try to calm our nerves a bit?” Castiel nods, smiling softly and letting go of Dean, turning to warm up some lunch for them.

 

“How was work?” Dean chuckles softly, leaning against the counter next to Cas.

 

“Not too busy, thankfully. Perks of a small-town hospital, I suppose. Couple kids who needed stitches, a few older people with health problems. Nothing we couldn’t handle.” Castiel smiles softly, pressing a kiss to Dean’s cheek. They carry their food to the table a few moments later, sitting close enough that their knees brush while they eat. They chat lightheartedly, trying to get a handle on their nerves.

 

At one thirty sharp, there’s a knock on the door. They glance at each other for a moment before standing and setting their dishes in the sink. Dean laces their fingers and takes a breath before plastering a charming smile on his face and opening the door. A short, redheaded woman with a kind smile introduces herself as Eva and shakes both of their hands. They both step back, Dean motioning for her to come in.

 

“It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for doing this on such short notice.” Eva smiles softly.

 

“Of course, it’s no problem at all. Honestly, this is just protocol at this point anyway. Based on your application and interview, you’ve already been approved. We just need to ensure that your house meets all the safety requirements before we can officially approve you.” They both grin at that, but manage to keep their giddiness contained for the time being.

 

“What do you need us to show you?” Dean asks as he slips his arm around Cas’s waist.

 

“Let’s start with the kitchen and work our way up from there.” Dean nods, smiling and leading the way to their kitchen. They both stand in the doorway while Eva makes sure the child locks work and that they have a working fire extinguisher. “You’ll need to childproof the knobs on the stove and the lower cabinets as well, depending on the age of the child you’re looking to adopt. Other than that, everything in here looks great. The only other thing I need to see if the bedroom the child would be staying in along with the bathroom they’d be using.” Castiel smiles and slips his hand in Dean’s, leading the way upstairs. They stop near the first door on the left, Dean motioning for the social worker to step inside.

 

“Our room’s on the other side of the hall, and the room next to this is a bit too small to be a bedroom, so it’s become our storage room. There’s a bathroom in between them, which is the one they’d be using.” The social worker hums in approval at Cas’s words, looking around in the bedroom and bathroom, jotting something onto her papers in the process.

 

“Alright, everything looks good to me. Everything’s clean and appropriately safe, I’ve got no problem passing you. I’ll finish up my report and have it in by the end of the day.” Dean and Cas both grin at that, walking Eva to the front door.

 

“Thank you so much. We really appreciate it.” Eva smiles, shaking their hands.

 

“Don’t be concerned if you don’t hear from me right away, December is usually the busiest time of year for us. It’ll take anywhere from one to two weeks for you to be officially approved, and then we can start the process of looking for someone to fit into your family.” She smiles reassuringly, tucking her notebook in her pocket. “I’ll be in touch. If you don’t hear from me before, enjoy your holidays.” They say their goodbyes and Dean closes the door once she leaves, a grin spreading across his face. Castiel’s answering grin is just as wide, and it only takes a moment for Dean to sweep his husband into his arms and hug him tightly.

 

“Oh my god, Cas, I can’t believe it! We’re almost there.”

 

“I know. I can’t believe it either. I’m _so_ excited!” Dean sighs happily, pressing a gentle kiss to his husband’s lips.

 

“Do you have to go in to work?” Cas shakes his head, smiling and kissing Dean’s forehead gently.

 

“No. I just have to call Charlie, she wanted me to let her know how it went.” Dean chuckles, his nose brushing along Cas’s jaw gently.

 

“Right, I’m sure that’s the only reason you’re calling her.” There’s a gentle teasing to Dean’s words, but it makes Castiel blush nonetheless.

 

“Alright, maybe I’m a _little_ concerned about how the morning shift went. Sue me.” Dean laughs, a warm, reassuring sound that makes Cas smile. He kisses Dean quickly before sliding out of his arms, going upstairs to call Charlie. Turns out the morning shift went off without a hitch and when Charlie got there, everything was properly prepared and in the oven. Castiel sags with relief, filling Charlie in about their meeting with the social worker. He hangs up after a few minutes, his eyes wandering to the whiteboard calendar on their wall. It’s nearly December, nearly the end of the year, and it suddenly dawns on him that he and Dean have hardly seen each other since March. They have the weekends, of course, but every other weekend Dean’s on call, and Castiel can more often than not be found in their kitchen trying out new recipes. It’s been a long time since they’ve sat down to dinner together, much less one with romantic connotations. His eyes flick to his laptop, which is sitting on his nightstand. He grabs it without a second thought, walking back downstairs and smiling softly when he finds Dean sprawled out on the couch. The man simply smiles at him and lifts his arm, an invitation for Castiel to snuggle into his side and watch whatever TV show Dean’s currently interested in. He takes him up on the former, snuggling against his side and propping his socked feet up on the coffee table, balancing his laptop on his lap. He logs in and opens Google, looking up places for a weekend getaway. It only takes him a few minutes before he finds a one-bedroom cabin an hour and a half away that’s available for the first weekend of December. He smiles to himself, glancing at Dean and booking it, saving the confirmation before closing his laptop and setting it aside. He wraps an arm around Dean’s middle, smiling when the man’s arm tightens around his shoulders. He sighs happily, closing his eyes and relishing the feeling of Dean pressed against him, a sense of calm washing over him.

 

After what feels like only a few moments, he’s woken by Dean’s gentle nudges.

 

“Come on, babe. Time to get up. I ordered us some pizza for dinner.” Castiel hums quietly, snuggling closer to the warm body next to him. Dean chuckles, and the feeling reverberates across Castiel’s chest, lulling him to the edge of sleep again. “Come on, Cas, I gotta go get the pizza. We can sleep later, I promise.” The smaller man pouts, but relents and lets Dean go. A soft kiss is pressed to his cheek before Dean stands to pay for their pizza, setting the box on the dining room table. Castiel takes him time getting there, yawning and stretching slowly, sighing softly when a few of his joints pop. He smiles sleepily at Dean, arms encircling the man’s waist, pressing his chest snuggly against Dean’s back.

 

“Hi.” Dean grins, resting his arms over Castiel’s.

  
“Hi there. You slept pretty soundly, huh?” Castiel hums, dropping a kiss to Dean’s shoulder.

 

“Always do when I’ve got you to snuggle.” Dean’s cheeks tinge red at the compliment, and he chuckles quietly.

 

“Good. I’m glad. You hungry?” He turns his head, kissing Cas’s temple gently. Castiel hums in response, nodding and slowly letting go of his husband.

 

“Starving.” Dean grabs plates for both of them while Cas gets them drinks, and they make their way back to the living room. Dean sprawls out on one cushion, leaning back against the arm of the couch and resting his legs on Cas’s lap. Castiel chuckles and set his plate on Dean’s shins, smiling at the other man’s warm chuckle.

 

“Any requests?” Dean asks, motioning to the TV before taking a large bite of his pizza.

 

“I think we’ve only got an episode or two of Orphan Black left, we could finish that tonight.” Dean hums in agreement, grabbing the remote off the coffee table and scrolling through the DVR list, pressing play on the oldest episode of Orphan Black.

 

They spend the length of the final two episodes finishing the pizza and, once their plates are in the sink, Dean ends up snuggled into Castiel’s side, pressing gentle kisses up his neck.

 

“Been a while since we’ve both been off like this.” His words come out muffled against Castiel’s neck, but he manages to make them out anyway.

 

“Mm. It has. Are you suggesting there’s something we should be doing?” He can feel Dean’s grin against his neck, causing him to chuckle softly. Dean’s hand reaches out blindly, switching the TV off and grabbing Cas’s hand, tugging him to their bedroom.

 

Dean’s alarm goes off far too early for either of them, Dean groaning quietly and rolling over to shut it off. Castiel’s bottom lip pokes out in a tired pout.

 

“Can’t you call in sick?” Dean chuckles sleepily, pulling Cas closer.

 

“You’re going in today too, aren’t you?” Castiel groans, burying his face in Dean’s chest.

 

“Yeah. Don’ wanna.” Dean smiles, letting his eyes slip shut. 

 

“Me either. Gotta earn a living somehow, though.” Castiel sighs after a moment, leaving a gentle kiss on Dean’s chest.

 

“You have to get up if you’re going to shower.” Dean hums in response, his fingers brushing through Cas’s hair gently.

 

“Couple more minutes. I got time.” Castiel smiles, snuggling closer and nodding.

 

Dean’s out the door an hour later, and Castiel’s had a cup and a half of coffee, which is nearly sufficient to actually wake him up. He downs the rest, setting his mug in the sink and venturing back to their bedroom, grabbing a pair of jeans and a sweater. He dresses quickly, grabbing his cell and calling the ER head’s office. The secretary picks up on the second ring.

 

“St. Anne’s hospital, emergency room.”

 

“Hi, Donna, it’s Cas, Dean Winchester’s husband?”

 

“Right, of course! What can I do for ya?”

 

“I’m planning a trip to surprise Dean, would it be possible for him to have next Friday off? The first?” The line is silent a moment, and Cas worries they’ve been disconnected, but Donna’s cheery voice returns.

 

“Of course hon. I just changed his availability.” Castiel grins, glancing at himself in the mirror quickly to ensure he looks presentable, tugging his boots on.

 

“Thank you so much.”

 

“Course! Enjoy your trip!” He thanks her, hanging up and pulling on his coat, grabbing his keys and climbing in his car. The drive to the bakery is short, and he’s both pleased and concerned to see a long line when he arrives. He checks the kitchen, happy to see all the prep work properly done. He hangs his coat up, pulling on an apron and walking to the front of the store to help Charlie and the boys out.


	2. Chapter 2

The week and a half passes quickly, and suddenly it’s Thursday night, and Castiel is curled up on the couch with a blanket wrapped tightly around him, waiting for Dean to come home. Sure enough, not five minutes later, the front door opens and the  _ woosh _ of cold air signals Dean’s entrance. Castiel smiles and pulls the blanket tighter around himself.

 

“Mm. Hey, baby. What smells good?” A kiss is pressed to the top of Cas’s head, and a warm body snuggles next to him on the couch. Castiel grins, opening the blanket and letting Dean snuggle underneath it with him.

 

“Made your favorite.” Dean raises an eyebrow, glancing at him.

 

“Oh? What’s the occasion?” Castiel still finds it strange that Dean can very nearly see right through him all the time, but he also likes the knowledge that someone knows him as well as Dean does.

 

“I have a surprise for you.” He squirms out from under the blanket, grabbing his laptop and pulling up the reservation confirmation, turning the laptop so Dean can see. “We’ve both been really busy since the bakery opened and, like you said last week, we hardly ever get time to ourselves.” Dean’s eyes flick back to his face, and Castiel’s stomach churns nervously when he sees the apprehension in his husband’s eyes.

 

“Cas, I have to work tomorrow.” Castiel sags in relief, a smile spreading across his lips.

 

“No you don’t. I called Donna, she made sure to put you down as unavailable for tomorrow. It’s an hour and a half away, so if we leave after lunch. It’ll give us plenty of time to get up there and get settled before dinner.” Dean’s face spreads into a wide grin and Castiel’s laptop is set on the coffee table. Dean’s lips find his a moment later, and his hands find Castiel’s cheeks. Castiel simply smiles in response, shifting closer and kissing him back.

 

“Perfect way to start December.” Dean says once they pull away, a happy smile on his face.

 

They spend the night packing their things and planning their meals for tomorrow and Saturday. Dean’s beyond excited for their trip, and the feeling is contagious because by the time they finish packing, all they both want to do is be there already. They manage to relax enough to actually get some sleep. 

 

Castiel’s the first one awake, though he usually is when they don’t set an alarm. Dean’s soft snores are the only sound in the room, and a sleepy smile spreads across Cas’s face. He closes his eyes again, more than content to simply lay there until Dean wakes up. Eventually, he drifts off again, the sounds of Dean’s gentle snores lulling him to sleep.

 

The next time he wakes up, there’s a gentle pressure on his thighs and a warm, fuzzy feeling building in his stomach. He blinks slowly, a soft gasp escaping his lips when he feels Dean’s tongue circling around the head of his cock. His hand finds its way to Dean’s hair, gently gripping the silky strands there. Dean hums quietly once he notices Cas is awake, pulling away and pressing a kiss to Cas’s thigh. A high-pitched whine escapes Cas’s lips, which gets a chuckle from Dean in response. 

 

“Well good morning to you too.” Castiel whines again, pouting down at his husband. Dean simply laughs, and Castiel absentmindedly thinks it’s the loveliest sound he’s heard in a long time. “Alright, alright, jeez. I wasn’t just gonna leave you like this, y’know.” He sinks back down, and Castiel’s cock is once again enveloped in the warm heat of Dean’s mouth. A contented sigh escaped his lips, his fingernails gently scratching Dean’s head. He can feel the moan in response all the way up to his stomach, and it makes his toes curl and the heat in his belly flare in the most delicious way.  Dean seems to notice, because another scratch of his nails along Dean’s head gets an even louder moan, which Castiel answers with one of his own. His whole body shivers at the feeling, and it doesn’t take Dean very long to get him to the edge. He whines when Dean pulls away again, his eyes fluttering open when he hears the drawer in the nightstand slide open. He bites his lip and spreads his legs absentmindedly, nodding quickly when Dean’s eyes meet his in silent questioning. Castiel’s sleep pants and boxer-briefs are on the floor in a flash and Dean’s settled back between his legs, a smirk tilting up the corner of his mouth. 

 

Luckily for him, Dean doesn’t seem to be in a teasing mood. He’s writhing on three of Dean’s fingers in what feels like only a few seconds, whining at Dean to  _ hurry the hell up and get in him already _ . Dean chuckles softly, licking his lips and with a rustle of fabric, he’s  _ finally _ naked. Cas’s eyes flick down him body slowly and he lets out a soft sigh. 

 

“God, how’d I get so lucky?” He grins as a flush spreads along Dean’s cheeks and down to his chest, leaning up on his elbows and kissing him quickly. “Now, do you plan on fucking me sometime this morning or just kneeling there and looking cute?” Dean scoffs, grumbling something about Cas being cranky in the morning, but the click of the lube bottle give Cas the answer he needs. It only takes a moment before Dean’s body brackets his and his lips meet Cas’s. They both let out quiet moans as Dean slides into him, and Cas slips a hand into Dean’s hair, gently playing with the shorts strands at his hairline. Dean only gives him a moment to adjust before he pulls back to the tip, rolling his hips slowly and filling Castiel again. The slick slide of Dean’s cock and their breathy moans are the only sounds in the room, and Cas is teetering on the edge of an orgasm embarrassingly fast. Lucky for him, it seems like Dean’s in the same boat. He can see the telltale quiver of Dean’s thighs that signals his orgasm.

 

“D-Dean, I’m-” Dean cuts him off with a filthy kiss and a low groan as his hips push forward roughly and Castiel feels him come. Dean barely gets a hand around Cas’s cock before he’s coming between them, his loud moan reverberating around the room.

 

They both take a moment to catch their breath before Dean rolls to the side, the length of his arm pressed against Castiel’s. He glances at Castiel for a moment before breaking into a fit of giggles, with Cas following a second later. 

 

“God, I think that’s the fastest we’ve ever come since our first date.” Cas nods in agreement, chuckling softly.

 

“See? This is why we need a vacation!” Dean giggles softly and nods, leaning over Cas to grab his boxers off the floor. He cleans them both off gently, tossing his boxers toward the laundry hamper. 

 

“Never said we didn’t. I’m  _ more _ than happy spending a weekend snuggling you in front of a fire.” Cas grins, leaning over and kissing Dean quickly.

 

“Good. I’m going to shower, if you want to join me.” Dean grins back and nods, following Cas to the bathroom.

 

Their shower gets side-tracked by wandering hands, but they finish washing before all the hot water runs out. Dean makes them a late breakfast while Cas brings their bags out to the car and they eat with their legs pressed together. They climb in the car and, after a short argument about which playlist to listen to, they’re on their way to the cabin. They stop halfway through for a quick meal and get to the cabin a few minutes past three. Cas unlocks the lockbox by the door and grabs the keys to the cabin, unlocking the front door and taking his bag from Dean, leading the way inside. He glances around the small cabin, smiling softly at the Christmas decorations. 

 

“Dude, this is  _ awesome _ ! Cas, come look at the bedroom!” Cas chuckles but walks to the bedroom nonetheless, setting his bag on the bench at the foot of the bed. “Dude, rose petals. One the bed. We didn’t even get this on our honeymoon.”

 

“Well this is intended specifically as a couple’s retreat, so it’s not all that surprising.” Dean shoots him a playful glare, setting his bag down.

 

“You could at least pretend to be excited, babe.” Castiel rolls his eyes with a fond smile.

 

“I am excited. I just don’t need rose petals to feel romantic with you.” Dean blushes at that, a shy smile tilting the corners of his lips.

 

“You’re a sap.” Cas grins, shrugging.

 

“Yeah, but I’m  _ your _ sap.” Dean chuckles, nodding and wrapping his arms around his husband’s waist. 

 

“So, what’s on the agenda?” Castiel hums, shuffling closer and wrapping his arms around Dean’s neck.

 

“Well, I saw a stack of board games on the way in here…” Dean’s face splits into a wide grin as he grabs Cas’s wrist and tugs him back to the small living room. Cas laughs, letting himself be dragged. He takes a seat on the couch while Dean picks the board game, shifting onto the floor once Dean comes over so they can play on the coffee table. 

 

They spend the next few hours playing different board games, with Dean being the overall winner, surprising neither of them. Castiel heaves himself off the floor, smiling when Dean protests. 

 

“No, come on, can’t we just stay here and cuddle?” Castiel hum softly, brushing his fingers through his husband’s hair gently.

 

“You can stay here. I’m going to go make us some dinner. You could start a fire, if you wanted. Pick out a movie for us to watch?” Dean hums softly and nods, picking out a movie and starting a fire while Castiel cooks for both of them. Halfway through the cooking, Dean gets bored waiting in the living room and wanders into the kitchen, slipping his arms around Cas’s waist from behind. His hands slip low down Cas’s stomach. “Dean, babe, I’m cooking.” A smirk flashes across Dean’s face and a soft kiss is placed on Cas’s neck.

 

“Good. Keep concentrating on the food.” The tips of Dean’s fingers graze along the top of Castiel’s jeans before sliding into them slowly. The hands leave his skin, just long enough to unbutton and unzip his jeans before they’re back and slowly sliding the front of his boxer-briefs down. Teeth graze over his neck and one of Dean’s hands tucks the boxer-briefs out of the way, his fingers teasing along the length of Castiel’s shaft. Dean hears a sharp intake of air and hums in satisfaction, wrapping his hand around Castiel’s cock, using a loose fist and light touches to get him hard. A shuddering sigh escapes Cas’s lips and his eyes slip shut. Suddenly, the hands on his body and the feeling of Dean’s chest against his back is gone. “I told you to concentrate on the food, babe.” He smirks, and all Cas can think of is those pretty lips around his cock. “If you can’t concentrate, I don’t think we should continue. We can’t burn this nice house down, I don’t think the owners would appreciate that.” Castiel narrows his eyes, glaring at his husband.

 

“You’re an ass. I’ll pay attention.” Dean’s apparently satisfied with that answer, because his hand slides back around Castiel’s cock a moment later, and his lips return to Cas’s neck. He struggles to keep his eyes open when Dean’s hand tightens a fraction around his cock and creates the most fantastic friction, but he’s determined to keep that hand around his cock no matter what. 

 

The benefit of being together for six years is that Dean knows almost everything there is to know about how Cas’s body reacts to his touch. He knows just where to brush his fingers along his shaft, how to twist his hand  _ just right _ to get a breathy moan out of his husband and, most importantly, he knows the signs of an impending orgasm. He smirks when he recognizes them, leaning over to grab a napkin off the counter so they don’t have to clean up afterwards. Sure enough, Cas’s body tenses a moment later and a quiet moan of Dean’s name is the only sound in the room when he comes. He only takes a moment to catch his breath before he’s tucking his cock back in his pants and dropping to his knees with a muttered warning to Dean that he make sure their dinner doesn’t burn.

 

They spend the rest of the night cuddled together on the couch, eating their thankfully not burned dinner and basking in the warmth of the fire.

 

They wake up the next morning still curled together on the couch, snuggled under three different blankets. Dean’s the first to wake, and he gently extricates himself from their cocoon and makes them coffee, smiling sleepily to himself. Castiel wakes a few minutes later when the smell of freshly-brewed coffee overtakes the small cabin. He shuffles to the kitchen with one of the blankets still wrapped around himself and his hair an utter mess. Dean simply smiles fondly and presses a gentle kiss to his forehead as he hands over a mug of coffee. 

“So what’s on the agenda today?” Cas grumbles something incoherent, taking a few sips of coffee and sitting at the small table in the kitchen. “I’m sorry, what was that, grumpy?” That earns him a glare from over the top of a mug, which only widens the smiles already gracing his lips.

“I said we could go on a walk. It’s supposed to be pretty warm today, and there’s walking trails around here that are supposed to beautiful in the snow.” Dean hums and nods, sitting in the other chair and setting his mug on the table. 

“Sounds good to me. Wanna get going in a few? We can be back by lunch, eat, and then make good use of that bed?” He smirks, waggling his eyebrows for emphasis. Castiel simply rolls his eyes, sipping his coffee.

“As much as I hate the way you phrased that, yes, I’d like that.” Dean grins, nudging his foot against Cas’s shin.

“You love it. I’m adorable.”

“Mm. That you are.” They both finish their coffee a moment later, setting their mugs in the sink. They dress quickly in warm clothes and boots, grabbing water bottles and the key to the cabin. It only takes them a few minutes to find the trail down the road, and they spend the majority of the morning walking around the trails and taking pictures of their view (and they may have taken a few pictures of each other when they weren’t looking, but who’s keeping track?). They’re back to the cabin a little before one, and in their excitement, spend less than five minutes scarfing down their lunch. Their dishes are in the sink in a flash and they’re making out on the way to the bedroom, dropping layers of clothes on the way.


	3. Chapter 3

They wake the next morning curled together under the mound of blankets on their bed, Dean with the pleasant feeling of Castiel’s breath tickling his chest and Castiel with the sound of Dean’s heartbeat in his ears. They lay there for a while before willing themselves to get out of the warmth of the bed. They end up renting tubes from the shack a mile down the road and tubing for the morning and half of the afternoon. They get back to the cabin and tidy everything quickly, packing their things and loading everything into the car. They stop in the town nearby for dinner before they head home. Dean’s hand finds its way to Castiel’s knee when they cross back into Kansas, and he squeezes gently.

 

“Thank you for this weekend. It was perfect.” Castiel smiles softly, resting his hand over Dean’s.

 

“I thought so too. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I missed hanging out with you.” He kisses Dean’s cheek gently, lacing their fingers as they drive. 

 

By the time they get home, they’re both yawning, so they decide to just bring their bags inside and go to bed. Unfortunately, the real world hits them the next morning; Dean’s got work and Castiel needs to be at the bakery early to ensure everything is perfect for the food critic coming later in the day. They don’t talk much until, at four in the afternoon, Castiel gets a text from Dean.

 

**_Meet me at the thrift shop across from your bakery at 5:30?_ **

 

He shows the text to Charlie, who nods quickly with a delighted smile on her face.

 

“Hell yeah! Go, I can clean up. I got this.” Castiel smiles and thanks her, finishing out the rest of his day and crossing the street to the thrift shop. Dean’s waiting for him outside, and a huge smile spreads across his face when he spots Castiel.

 

“Hey, babe! Missed you.” He kisses Cas quickly, opening the door of the shop for him.

 

“I missed you too. What are we doing here?” Dean grins like a kid on Christmas and pulls Castiel to the back of the shop, where the winter clothes are.

 

“So, I know we haven’t been able to hang out as much since your bakery opened, and with our whole date weekend, I figured, why not make it the whole month? Have a few little things to do during the week and then we can have actual dates on the weekends. Make up for all the days we missed this year?” A grin lights up Cas’s face, and he nods quickly.

 

“I love that idea. What’s today's?” 

 

“I mean, it  _ is _ the Christmas season, which of course wouldn’t be complete without ugly Christmas sweaters.” Castiel rolls his eyes at his husbands enthusiasm, but grins nonetheless.

 

“Great. Let’s find some.”

 

“Ah, but here’s the catch: I’ll pick one for you and you pick one for me, and we’ll wear them to work tomorrow.” Cas’s eyes narrow, turning to glare at his husband.

 

“Fine, but  _ nothing _ inappropriate. I run a business and you work in an emergency room.” Dean chuckles and ruffles Cas’s hair.

 

“Well yeah, of course they’ve gotta be appropriate. I’m not  _ that _ horrible.” 

 

“Beg to differ.” Castiel mutters to himself as he fixes his hair. Dean seems to have missed it though, his attention falling on the rack of sweaters near the back of the store. He smirks, glancing at Cas.

 

“Good luck, babe. Betcha mine’ll be worse.” Castiel chuckles, shaking his head.

 

“I have no doubt it will be.” 

 

It only takes them ten minutes to pick out sweaters for each other. Castiel picks out a bright red sweater with green and white strips and elves with mugs of beer, saying “Let’s get elfed up”. Dean questions the appropriateness of it for the emergency room, but mostly just to watch Cas squirm. Dean  _ tries _  to get Castiel to wear a black and green sweater with a Christmas tree on it that reads “I don’t want your balls on me!” but there's no way in  _ hell _ Cas is wearing that to his bakery to serve customers in. Dean grumbles about him being a spoilsport, but puts the sweater back on the rack. Ultimately, he chooses a bright red sweater with green trim and snowflakes, as well as a  _ giant _ gold bow and an oversized tag sewn onto the front. 

 

“God, I hate you.” Castiel grumbles as they buy the sweaters. Dean simply flashes him a bright grin.

 

“You love me.” Castiel agrees begrudgingly, taking the bag from the cashier and walking to Dean’s car with him, pecking his husband on the lips gently.

 

“See you at home?”

 

“‘Course, babe. I’ll stop and pick us up somethin’ for dinner so we can just relax tonight.” Castiel hums in agreement, crossing the street to his car and climbing in, setting the bag of sweaters on the passenger’s seat. 

 

The drive home is easy; it hasn’t snowed in Lawrence yet and it’s not overly cold, so Cas doesn't shiver when his socked feet met the tile floor of their entryway. He brings the sweaters and their laundry from the weekend upstairs, putting everything in the washer and starting it just as he hears Dean come inside. They eat together and watch an episode of Game of Thrones before Dean moves to the kitchen table to review files and Castiel takes a few minutes to organize the recipes in his binder. They both retire an hour later, curled together in their bed.

 

The next day in uneventful, mostly. Cas gets a lot of strange looks from customers, and Donna doubles over laughing when Dean walks into work in the morning. They get home around the same time and Castiel does another load of laundry while Dean cooks for them.

 

“We should go get a tree tonight. We don’t have to decorate it right away or anything, but while we’ve got these festive as fuck sweaters on, we should definitely go get a tree.” Castiel chuckles but agrees. They eat together quickly before tugging on boots and jackets and driving to the tree farm closest to them. Much to Dean’s dismay, they take Castiel’s truck, but he agrees quickly when Cas had pointed out that the rope and tree branches might leave a scratch on the Impala’s roof. The farm isn’t crowded at all, which is a blessing. It only takes them twenty minutes to find a tree that will fit their living room, and another fifteen to get it cut down and tied down in the bed of Cas’s truck. They’re home within an hour, with a Christmas tree in tow. Dean props it against the garage door in a bucket of water with the rationalization that it’ll only be like that for a day or two, just long enough for Dean to get their decorations from the attic and set up the stand for the tree. Cas knows the tree will stay there at least until the weekend, but he doesn’t say so. Instead, they spend a couple hours curled up on the couch in front of the fireplace, the quiet crackle of the fire just barely audible over the sounds of Game of Thrones. Wandering hands lead to a makeout session on the couch, which leads to a rather messy dual hand job. They toss their clothes in the washer when they go upstairs, snuggling under their blankets together.

 

The next day at work is mostly calm. Cas’s bakery gets a glowing review from the food critic, which brings in more business after lunch. They’re busy until closing, but with Charlie helping, it only takes half an hour to clean everything up and put it away. He makes it home, surprised to find Dean’s car already in the driveway. He grabs his things and walks inside.

 

“Dean? Are you okay?” His husband pokes his head around the corner, smiling.

 

“Yeah, ‘course. Why wouldn’t I be?” Castiel smiles softly, hanging his jacket up and kicking his boots off.

 

“You’re not usually home before me.” He hums, and when Castiel turns the corner he finally sees what Dean’s so preoccupied with. Their Christmas decorations are spread out in the living room, and Dean’s sitting on the floor untangling a strand of lights. 

 

“Yeah, they’re training a new doctor and wanted her to do some of the work, so they let me go early.” He smiles and tilts his head up for a kiss when Castiel gets closer, humming happily. “How was your day? Saw the awesome review. Congrats, angel.” Castiel smiles at the pet name, kissing Dean gently on the lips.

 

“It was good. Very busy after lunch, but it wasn’t too bad with Charlie helping me. I think I’m going to look for someone else to hire, just for a few hours later in the night. Especially if we’re able to adopt relatively soon, I’d like to have somewhat normal working hours.” Dean smiles, setting the strand of lights aside and pushing himself to his feet.

 

“Sounds like a good idea to me. I told Victor I wanted to cut back on my hours starting in January.”

 

“Oh? How did he take it?” Dean chuckles, walking to the kitchen and stirring the pot on the stove.

 

“He told me he thought it was an excellent idea. He says I work to much. Which, I mean, he’s probably not wrong. I wouldn’t mind having more time at night to just be here, especially if you’re gonna be home too.” Castiel smiles, leaning against the counter and opening his mouth when Dean holds out a spoon.

 

“Mm. You made your stew? It’s delicious.” Dean smiles, pecking his lips quickly and putting the lid back on the pot.

 

“Yeah. Figured we could do all the decorating tonight. I’ll get the tree set up and we could decorate that tomorrow?” Cas smiles softly and nods.

 

“Sure.” Dean turns the stew down, smiling softly and pulling Castiel against his chest. 

 

“You have flour in your hair, angel.” Castiel’s face screws up in a frown, and Dean chuckles quietly, brushing it out of his hair.

 

“Charlie decided to sprinkle flour in my hair when we were cleaning up.” Dean grins, kissing him quickly.

 

“I knew I liked that girl.” Castiel rolls his eyes, shoving Dean away gently.

 

“Yeah, two peas in a pod, you are.” He grabs a few of the decorations from the living room, slipping his canvas shoes on and pulling on a jacket. Dean follows his lead, nudging him playfully as they walk outside.

 

“Too bad there’s no snow. We could have a killer snowball fight while we’re decorating.” Cas pouts, grabbing the ladder from the garage. 

 

“Every time we have a snowball fight I end up getting one square in the face.” Dean giggles at that, setting the decorations up in the yard.

 

“Yeah, that’s true. You look super cute with a red nose though.” Cas rolls his eyes, climbing the ladder and setting the lights up along the edge of the house carefully. Dean plugs them in once he’s finished and they both step back to admire his handiwork. “Lookin’ good, babe. Nice job.” He smiles fondly, pressing a kiss to Cas’s temple. Castiel hums his appreciation, snuggling close against Dean’s side.

 

“We need to do the inside, too. Should we go in? Warm up?” Dean smirks at that and Cas rolls his eyes in response, swatting Dean’s chest. “Not like that, you dork. By starting a fire. How are we supposed to decorate while we’re having sex?” Dean giggles, shrugging and leading them inside.

 

“I dunno, we could manage it.” Cas just rolls his eyes again, an exasperated smiled lighting up his face. Dean goes to the kitchen to shut off the stew and Castiel grabs a bundle of kindling, starting a fire and adding another log once it gets going. They sit snuggled in front of the fire together, eating their stew and watching TV. Cas takes their bowls to the sink and washes them quickly while Dean gets the rest of the decorations out and sets up the tree stand and skirt. He brings the tree inside, setting it up in the stand and stepping back, nodding to himself. Castiel smiles softly, brushing a hand along Dean’s lower back. 

 

“Looks good, honey. I like it.” Dean hums, wrapping an arm around Cas’s shoulders.

 

“Thanks. We’ll decorate it tomorrow? Do the rest of the decorations today?” Cas nods his agreement, gently letting Dean go and handing him a few decorations. They spend the next couple hours rearranging their decorations and furniture, soft music playing in the background. They finish the decorations just in time for bed, snuggling under the blankets together in nothing but their boxer-briefs. 

 

“Jesus, Cas, your feet are fuckin freezing!” Castiel giggles softly, shifting his feet away from Dean’s legs.

 

“Sorry. Goodnight. I love you.” Dean softens at that, smiling and tilting Castiel’s face to him, kissing him gently.

 

“I love you, too. Sweet dreams, baby.” Cas smiles, shifting closer and draping an arm over Dean’s middle. Once he hears Dean’s breathing even out, it doesn’t take him much longer to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Castiel's sweater is [here](https://images.halloweencostumes.com/products/36113/1-1/christmas-present-sweater.jpg)  
> Dean's sweater is [here](http://www.uglychristmassweater.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/IMG_0058.jpg)


	4. Chapter 4

Cas is the first one home the next day, so he brings down the bins of tree decorations from the attic before starting on their dinner. He decides to try a new recipe while he waits for Dean to get home. He’s just setting it in the oven when Dean walks through the door. A kiss is pressed to his cheek before Dean’s arms wrap around his waist from behind. He smiles, leaning back against his husband’s chest and closing his eyes for a moment.

 

“Hi. How was work?” Dean smiles softly, dropping a kiss to the top of Castiel’s head.

 

“It was good, baby. Not too busy. How’s the bakery?” Castiel hums, resting his arms over Dean’s.

 

“It’s good. I interviewed a couple people today. One of them is promising. They’re coming in tomorrow afternoon for training. If it goes well, they’ll start on Monday.” Dean smiles softly, letting go of Cas when the man opens his eyes.

 

“That’s great, baby. Can’t wait to be able to spend more time together.” Cas hum, turning and capturing Dean’s lips gently.

 

“Me either. Should we start on the tree? Dinner’s still got about half an hour before it’s ready.” Dean smiles and nods, lacing their fingers and walking to the living room.

 

It only takes them ten minutes to get the strings of lights on the tree. The tinsel is next (most of it ends up at Dean’s feet on the floor, he has no patience for the stuff), and by the time they’re ready to put ornaments on, the timer on the oven goes off, alerting them that their dinner is ready. Dean gets them plates while Cas pulls everything out of the oven and grabs a serving spoon, dishing them both up. They eat quickly at the table before heading back to the living room to finish the tree. Dean sets his phone in the dock on their mantle, playing Christmas music while they decorate the tree. 

 

“Awe, Dean, look, our wedding ornament.” Dean smiles, slipping an arm around Castiel’s waist.

 

“Yeah, I love it. My mom did such a good job.” Cas grins, hanging it in the center of the tree.

 

“Your dad too, apparently.” Dean rolls his eyes, chuckling.

 

“Yeah, if by that you mean my mom wrote his name on the card, absolutely.” Cas laughs, shrugging and grabbing another ornament.

 

“My mom was the one in our family who had her name attached to the gifts. Suppose that goes with my dad being the one to stay home, though.” Dean laughs and nods.

 

“Yeah, I don’t see your mom going out and shopping for you guys.” Castiel snorts, glancing at Dean.

 

“No, not even a little. She’s tried to buy presents for us before but she’s terrible at it. She wanted to get us a cat.” Dean’s nose scrunches, and Castiel laughs. “Yeah, exactly. We were much better off with my father buying the gifts.” Dean chuckles, grabbing a few ornaments and hanging them. He sighs softly when his cell rings, glancing at Cas and catching the tail end of a pout. 

 

“Maybe it’s nothin’, baby.” He presses a kiss to Cas’s temple, grabbing his cell off the dock. He rubs his face before he notices the number, sending a frantic look in Castiel’s direction. He swipes the screen to answer the call, putting it on speaker. “Eva, hi. We weren’t expecting to hear from you until after the holidays.”

 

“Hello.” Castiel chimes in softly.

 

“Hi boys! I’ve actually got some really great news for you. I know I told you when I was there that you were basically approved, but it just came through to my desk. You guys are officially approved.” Dean grins, wrapping an arm around Castiel when he shuffles closer.

 

“Thank you so much, Eva. It means a lot.” Castiel smiles gratefully, leaning his head on Dean’s shoulder.

 

“It’s my pleasure, but that wasn’t the good news. I know you two weren’t looking for a baby, so I was keeping my eye out for toddlers that came through the system. Got a call two days ago from a colleague a county over who got two kids, a boy and a girl, from a rough home situation. The boy’s two and the girl is nearly four. We’d like to keep them together, if possible, but I wasn’t sure how you two felt about adopting more than one child at the same time.” Dean glances over at Cas, his eyes scanning his husband’s face. Cas looks back at him, shrugging after a moment.

 

“It’s-”

 

“Oh, sorry, you don’t have to decide right now. I called to ask if you’d be interesting in being emergency foster parents for them for a couple days. They don’t have beds available for them right now, and the only other emergency foster family we have right now is away on vacation.” Dean meets Cas’s eyes again, shrugging and muting the mic on his phone.

 

“It’s fine with me. The bed upstairs would be big enough for both of them, and we should be able to get them clothes if we need them. I can call in sick tomorrow.” Castiel nods slowly, smiling softly. 

 

“I can stay the morning if you want to work half a day. I just need to be there for training tomorrow afternoon.” Dean shrugs.

 

“We can work that out later. So are we saying yes?” Castiel’s smile widens as he nods.

 

“Yeah. If you’re okay with it?” Dean smiles, kissing Cas quickly before unmuting his phone.

 

“It’s fine with both of us.”

 

“Great! I’ll be there with them in an hour, if that’s not too soon.” They can practically hear the relief in her voice.

 

“No, it’s perfect. We’ll see you then, Eva. Drive safe.”

 

“See you soon, Cas. Thank you both.” The line clicks, and it takes Dean a moment to lock his phone and set it down. He runs a hand through his hair, whistling softly.

 

“Two kids at once? You sure we can handle that?” Castiel chuckles, grabbing another ornament.

 

“For a couple days? I’m sure we can manage. Tomorrow’s Friday, anyway, we won’t have to worry about taking off work.” Dean hums softly. Cas glances at him, hanging the ornament. “What?”

 

“I, uh… I meant adopting them. I-if that’s what you want, obviously, if not that’s completely-” Dean’s cut off by a hand over his mouth, his husband’s face inches from his with a small smile on it.

 

“Dean, honey, relax. I’d be perfectly happy adopting both of them. You might have to sacrifice your office for another bedroom, but if you get the promotion you’re hoping for, you’d have your own office at work anyway. Let’s see how the next day or two goes and see if they even like us before we get ahead of ourselves and end up hurt, okay?” Castiel can see the tension ebb out of his husband, who smiles and nods, pressing a kiss to Cas’s palm. He rests his hands on Dean’s cheek, kissing him gently.

 

“Yeah. Okay. Sounds good to me.”

 

They finish putting the rest of their ornaments on the tree, putting the bins back in the attic and putting away anything within reach that might be a danger. They look at each other nervously when their doorbell rings, each one taking a deep breath before straightening up and walking to the door. Dean gets there first, pulling it open and smiling at Eva. 

 

“Hey, come on in, let’s get you all out of the cold.” He steps out of the way, smiling down at the two young children who shuffle into the house behind Eva. The boy stays hidden behind her legs, a small stuffed bear clutched in his hands. The girl looks up at both of them, a nervous optimism evident on her face. 

 

“Hi.” Her small voice echoes around the room, and her brother hides even further. Dean smiles and waves at her, slipping his hand into Castiel’s.

 

“Hi there. It’s really nice to meet you guys. You cool hanging out with us for a couple days?” The girl glances back at her brother, nodding slowly.

  
“Yeah. What happens after a couple days?” She glances back up at them, her blue eyes wide. Dean glances at Eva, who hums softly and rests a hand on the girl’s head gently.

 

“We’ll talk about that soon, alright? For now, you guys are going to stay here with Dean and Castiel, okay? They’re gonna make sure you’re safe.” The girl nods, her fingers playing with the hem of her shirt. “Good. Alright, so this is Claire, she’s four, and this cute little guy back here,” she rests a hand on the young boys head, who’s peeked out from behind her legs to look up at Dean and Cas “is Jack. He’s two December 17th. Can you say hi, Jack?” The small boy waves at them slowly, clutching the teddy bear close. Castiel waves back, a gentle smile on his face.

 

“Would you two like to come in? See where you’ll be staying?” Claire nods, stepping toward them. Jack follows suit cautiously, loosening his grip on the teddy bear when Dean holds out a hand to him. Jack takes it gently, smiling shyly at Dean. Castiel leads the way upstairs, with Claire in the middle and Dean and Jack following close behind. Eva lingers back a bit, watching the four of them. Cas opens the door to the spare bedroom. “You guys will have to share a bed, unfortunately. We’ve only got the one room right now. Is that okay?” Claire nods, her voice soft.

 

“Jack and I have the same room at home, too. We don’t mind.” Jack shuffles into the room next to his sister, who smiles softly. “The bed’s way bigger than ours. It looks really comfy.” Dean smiles softly, motioning for them to try it.

 

“It’s all yours, kiddo, go ahead.” A grin lights up the little girl’s face and she tugs her brother onto the bed with her, shifting and laying on one of the pillows. Jack copies her, smiling widely.

 

“I’s comfy. ‘N big!” Claire grins at him and nods.

 

“Look, we can even have our own sides!” Jack grins back, setting his teddy bear on the pillow next to him. Dean glances at Eva, stepping into the hallway with her.

 

“What happened to them?” He asks softly, concern coloring his tone. Eva sighs softly, glancing at them.

 

“They were found in their father’s house. He died of alcohol poisoning after being in the ER for a couple days. Nobody could identify him, so no one even knew the kids were alone in the house.” Cas can practically hear his husband’s heart breaking, much like his own. He glances at them, crossing his arms over his chest. 

 

“That’s awful. They don’t have any other family?” Eva shakes her head.

 

“Not that we’ve found, so far. Mother’s deceased, and it seems like both sets of grandparents are as well. The father was an only child, we’re still trying to find out more about the mother. Until we do, they’re technically not up for adoption.” Cas hums his understanding, smiling softly and waving at Claire and Jack when they look over. “We’ve got some clothes for them, though not much. I’ll keep in touch and let you know if you’ll have to keep them any longer. Other than that, they don’t have much.” Dean nods, smiling and taking the bag from her. 

 

“Don’t worry about it, we can make due for the night and get stuff tomorrow if we need it.” Eva smiles softly and nods, sitting on the bed with the kids.

 

“Alright, you guys are going to stay here for a few days, okay? Dean and Cas have my number if you need me, and my card’s in your bag, Claire. Let me know if you need anything, hm?” They both nod, and Dean walks Eva to the front door. Castiel stays upstairs with the kids, watching them for a moment.

 

“Are you two tired? It’s late, do you want to get in your pajamas and get ready for bed?” He chuckles softly when Jack grumbles, holding a hand out toward the toddler. “I’ll tell you what, Dean and I have a few kid books, you guys can each pick one out and we’ll read it once you’re ready for bed. That sound okay?” He watches the kids’ eyes light up and he can feel his heart breaking for them. It’s abundantly clear they’ve never been offered that before, so he leads them to the storage room and lets them each pick a book off the small bookshelf in there. Castiel sets the books on the bed, smiling softly at Dean. “They’re going to get ready for bed and then they each picked out a book for us to read to them.” Dean hums softly, grabbing pajamas out of their bag for them.

 

“Sounds like a good plan to me. We’ve got some spare toothbrushes here that you guys can use tonight, and then we’ll take you to the store tomorrow and you can pick out your own toothbrushes and toothpaste, okay?” The kids both nod and take their pajamas from Dean, shuffling into the bathroom and changing. Dean grabs the spare toothbrushes, getting them ready and handing them to the kids, smiling softly and helping Jack brush. They gets the kids tucked into bed once they finish, with Dean and Cas on the outer edges of the bed. They read Jack’s book first, and the toddler barely makes it through three pages before he’s out like a light. Claire tucks him and his teddy bear in and Dean and Cas both watch with small smiles on their faces. They read Claire’s book next, and the girl’s eyes are heavy by the time they finish. Dean and Cas lift themselves off the bed gently, tucking the kids in. Dean switches on a nightlight by the door, which they leave open just enough to hear the kids if they call before heading back downstairs.

 

“Eva left us a list of stuff. We’re gonna have to pick up a few things tomorrow. Jack’s needs pull-ups at night and she only left us with a few.” Castiel smiles softly, pulling Dean close and kissing him gently.

 

“We’ll make it work, honey. Promise. Let’s just clean up quickly and go get some sleep, hm? We can worry about getting things for them tomorrow, nothing’s open now anyway.” Dean smiles and Cas can feel him relax.

 

“Yeah, okay.” They put the leftovers from dinner away, washing and drying the dishes. They shut off all the lights on their way upstairs, and Castiel’s hand finds its way to Dean’s. They get ready for bed together, and by the time they’re tucked together in bed, it only takes a few minutes for them to fall asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Dean’s the first awake the next morning. He smiles softly when he feels Cas’s breath on his neck, letting his eyes drift closed again. He lets himself lay there for a moment, enjoying the feeling of his husband fast asleep, snuggled against his side. Cas begins to stir a few minutes later, a soft huff of breath against Dean’s neck the only warning he has. Cas snuggles closer, a soft whine escaping his throat. Dean chuckles softly, brushing his fingers through Cas’s hair gently.

 

“Mornin’, babe. Sleep okay?” Cas mutters something incoherent against his neck, snuggling closer and huffing softly. Dean’s laughs quietly, tightening his arms around Cas. “Alright, no talking, message received. We do have to get up, though. I gotta make us some coffee and get some breakfast going for the kids.” Castiel pouts but relinquishes his hold on Dean nonetheless. A sleepy smile spreads across his face and he sighs happily. Dean chuckles, sitting up and brushing his thumb along Cas's cheek gently. “What?”

 

“I like you sayin’ that. Gotta get breakfast goin’ for the kids.” He yawns, snuggling under the blankets further. “‘S cute.” Dean grins, dropping a kiss to Cas’s temple and tucking him in gently.

 

“I’ll bring you some coffee, babe.” He smiles to himself, checking on Claire and Jack quietly, pleased to see both of them still fast asleep. He walks down the stairs as quietly as he can, careful to avoid the parts that creak under pressure. He hums to himself while he puts a pot of coffee on, grabbing everything to make pancake batter. Just as he’s flipping the first batch of pancakes, he hears light footsteps on the stairs. He turns and smiles softly at Claire. “Hi there. Did you sleep okay?” Claire smiles gently and nods, rubbing her eyes.

 

“Yeah. Your bed’s real comfy.” Dean chuckles, grabbing a mug from the cabinet.

 

“Good, I’m glad you think so. I gotta go bring this to Cas, but the pancakes are almost ready if you want some breakfast.” She glances between Dean and the stove, looking up at him.

 

“You make breakfast?” Dean hums, pouring coffee for Cas.

 

“Yeah, I usually do on the weekends or on my days off. Otherwise, Cas makes it while I shower in the morning.” He chuckles when he sees her eyes drifting to the bag of chocolate chips, handing her a few. She grins and takes them from him, walking to the kitchen table. He smiles to himself, grabbing the mug off the counter and walking upstairs, setting it on Cas’s nightstand. He wakes Jack gently, helping the boy change before helping him down the stairs. “I think we might have to eat in the living room, guys. I don’t think we’ve got anything that you two can sit on to reach the table. That okay?” Claire hums happily and nods, smudges of chocolate around her mouth. Dean chuckles softly, grabbing a napkin and wetting it gently, wiping her face off. “Go on out, I’m gonna finish up these pancakes and I’ll bring them out to you guys.” He watches them go before turning back to the stove. 

 

By the time he finishes the pancakes a few minutes later, a bleary-eyed Cas with wild hair and a robe is making his way down the stairs, sipping at his coffee. Dean smiles and plants a kiss on his lips when Cas reaches him. 

 

“Mornin’, angel. Pancakes?” Castiel sighs, kissing him gently, setting his mug on the counter and pouring himself more coffee. 

 

“Only if they have chocolate chips in them.” Dean snorts.

 

“Right, like I’d dare make non chocolate chip pancakes after being married to you for almost five years.” Cas hums, sipping his coffee and patting his cheek gently.

 

“Good, then I’ve trained you well.” Dean laughs, shaking his head and setting the last of the pancakes on the platter. 

 

“Uh huh. Wanna make yourself useful and grab plates and forks for us and the kids?” He grabs the syrup and the platter of pancakes, making his way to the living room. He sets both on the coffee table, sitting on the floor between it and the couch. He motions the kids over, taking the plates from Cas and setting a pancake on each plate. “You guys ever had pancakes before?” Both kids shake their heads, so Dean sets the plates in front of them and sets the syrup between them. “The syrup goes on top of the pancake, and then you can cut it up with your fork and eat it. There’s even chocolate chips inside.” Jack’s eyes light up at that, and Dean smiles to himself when he sees how happy a simple breakfast makes both of them. He hands Cas a plate, grabbing his own and settling in to eat. 

 

Dean washes the dishes while Cas gets himself and the kids ready to go. Dean throws on a pair of jeans and a warm hoodie, slipping on his boots and helping the kids into their coats. He sets up the carseats in the back of the Impala, buckling both kids into theirs and sliding behind the wheel. Cas buckles himself into the passenger’s seat, slipping his hand in Dean’s. The drive to Target is mostly uneventful as Dean and Cas listen to Claire and Jack talking to each other quietly. Dean smiles to himself, squeezing Cas’s hand as he parks the car. They get Jack settled into the seat in the cart with Claire content to hold Cas’s hand as they walk. Each kid picks out a toothbrush and they grab a tube of kid-friendly toothpaste as well. They let the kids pick out a few different outfits for themselves and set a pack of pull-ups in the cart for Jack, and they let them pick a few toys to keep them entertained. By some miracle, they’re actually out of Target within an hour and on the way back to their house. Claire and Jack head to the living room to play with their new toys, and Cas heads upstairs to get ready for work. Dean stays in the living room with them, looking over his files from work. Cas drops a kiss to his head as he leaves, waving to the kids with a promise that he’ll be back in a few hours. 

 

Dean spends the next few hours keeping an eye on the two kids, even playing with them when asked. By the time Cas gets home from work, dinner’s already on and Claire and Jack are both down for their naps, though they’d fought it at first. Dean had insisted, though it was more than likely they had agreed because Dean had promised they could stay up late that night. Dean finishes up dinner while Cas goes upstairs to clean himself up and wake the kids from their nap. By the time the three of them come back downstairs, dinner’s done and dished up, with four plates sitting on the coffee table in the living room. Claire and Jack crowd in between Dean and Cas, with the latter putting on a kids movie for them to watch while they eat. Claire and Jack are absolutely captivated by it, their eyes barely leaving the screen for more than a few seconds the entire time. Dean and Cas share private, happy smiles over their heads, content to eat their dinner in silence.

 

Despite their excitement about Dean’s promise, both kids are passed out on the couch before nine. Dean and Cas carry them upstairs and help them change into their pajamas, tucking them into bed and switching the nightlight on. Dean and Cas end up on the couch downstairs with an episode of Game of Thrones playing quietly. Dean nudges Castiel halfway through the episode, nodding toward the window.

 

“Babe, look. First snow of the year.” Cas smiles softly, snuggling closer to Dean. 

 

“Mm. Good thing we’re in here then.” Dean laughs, shaking his head and tightening his arm around his husband.

 

“Y’know, if you hate snow so much, why’d you agree to live in Kansas?” Cas huffs, wrapping his arms around Dean’s middle. 

  
“Because Lawrence doesn’t get nearly as much snow as most of the rest of the country, and I know you like it here, especially having your parents so close.” Dean smiles gently, leaning his head on Castiel’s.

 

“Yeah. I do. I woulda gone anywhere with you, though. Hope you know that.” Castiel hums and nods slightly, pressing a kiss to Dean’s shoulder.

 

“I do.”

 

They spend the next hour watching the snow fall outside their window.


	6. Chapter 6

Bittersweet is the best way to describe the next couple of days. Two beds open up for Claire and Jack, and since they’re still unsure if the kids have living relatives, they’re not able to stay with Dean and Cas. They do manage to have a snowball fight with them on Saturday before they go, with Charlie and her girlfriend coming over to join, as well as Donna and her husband. They kids are thoroughly exhausted by the time they call it quits, and overall Dean’s counting it as a success. Cas didn’t get a snowball to the face this time, and they got to hang out with their friends and introduce them to the kids they’re hoping to adopt. They meet up with a few of their friends at a bowling alley Sunday after dropping Claire and Jack, along with their new things, at Eva’s office. They spend the night catching up with their friends, getting a little too competitive about the bowling, and enjoying pizza and beer with them. Charlie, her girlfriend Dorothy, Dean and Cas are the last of their group to leave, with the promise of having a movie night sometime soon. 

 

The next few days pass in a blur. They spend Monday night driving around their town in their pajamas with mugs of hot chocolate, looking at all the Christmas decorations. Tuesday is spent with two one-dollar Christmas movies from Target that turn out to be much more fun when they have a running commentary going during the movie. Wednesday is the local Christmas festival, where Cas has a booth with all sorts of items from his bakery. The next night, they cuddle together under a blanket on the sidewalk and watch the parade of lights down Main Street. Friday night finds them at a soup kitchen not far from their house, helping to feed the needy families and the homeless in their town. They leave with an agreement to come back the next week. Saturday, much to Dean’s initial dismay, finds him and Cas at a spa. Castiel had surprised him with the appointment, which started out with a couple’s massage and a few different spa treatments. By the end, he’s grudgingly agreeing that it was actually pretty fun and they should do it more often. Cas counts that as a win, pressing a few kisses to Dean’s face with a comment about how soft and glowy it is. Dean blushes the entire way home. Sunday, Dean suggests they volunteer again, this time at an animal shelter. Castiel is more than on board, though he’s slightly concerned about Dean’s allergies. Luckily for both of them, they don’t act up, and they’re able to enjoy themselves while helping to take care of the animals.

 

Their next date is one that they’re surprisingly proud of. Dean comes home with a quilt-making kit and a shrugged comment about them “giving it a try”. Castiel can’t see any reason to object, so they move the coffee table out of the way and settle onto the floor. They spend the next four hours joking with each other and taking turns checking on dinner while they work on putting the quilt together. Despite the rather mediocre sewing job, the quilt is actually really warm, and more than big enough to wrap around the both of them. They fold it neatly and drape it over the back of their couch. Tuesday has them in the giving mood again, with Castiel’s suggestion that they donate clothes they don’t wear. They both go through their closets and toss anything they haven’t worn within a year onto the bed. They end up with an entire garbage bag full of clothes to donate, which gets dropped at the LGBT-friendly shelter by Dean on his way to work. 

 

The next day, as Dean and Cas are bundling up to head outside for a snowman-building competition, Dean’s cell rings. His heart drops when he sees Eva’s name displayed, automatically thinking she’s found relatives for the kids and is calling to give them the bad news. He swipes the screen and puts it on speaker so Cas can hear.

 

“Hey, Eva. Everything okay?” Castiel glances at him with the same worry in his eyes that Dean feels every time his heart thumps.

 

“Everything’s great. We’ve tracked down the family of Claire and Jack’s mother, and all of them are passed. There’s no will from either parent, and since they’ve got no living relative, Claire and Jack are officially up for adoption.” Dean can feel the relief spread through his body and knows Cas can feel the same when he looks over at him. A genuinely pleased smile spreads across his husband’s face, and it makes Dean happier than he’s been in a long time. “As long as you two are still interested, I can start the paperwork.

 

“We’re absolutely still interested. What do we have to do?” Cas chimes in, stepping close to Dean and wrapping an arm around his waist. 

 

“Nothing yet, I can handle everything from my end. You’ll have to go to court to make it official, so I’ll try to get you guys in sometime in the next few days. They’ve got a court-appointed lawyer, but she agrees with me that they’d be best if placed with you, since they’ve already had a couple days to acclimate to you and your house. We just need the judge’s ruling on it and then we’ll be able to finalize it.”

 

“Do they still have to stay at the children’s home while we finalize it?” A heavy sigh from Eva gives them their answer before she even says a word.

 

“Unfortunately, yes. You’re only qualified as emergency foster parents, and since they have no relation to you, they can’t stay with you while they’re in the process of being adopted. I’m sorry, guys.” Dean smiles, pressing a kiss to Castiel’s temple.

 

“Don’t worry about it, you’ve done more than enough for us. We can wait a few days.” They say their goodbyes with Eva after she promises to call them the next day. They leave their phones inside while they have their competition. Cas ends up winning, so Dean makes dinner. They spend the rest of the night snuggled under their new quilt in front of the fire, catching up on TV shows and chatting about their excitement for the adoption.


	7. Chapter 7

The blaring of Dean’s phone alarm is what finally pulls Castiel back to the land of the living. He groans loudly and burrows farther into Dean’s side, muttering a string of curse words. Dean just chuckles quietly and taps his screen to turn the alarm off, pressing a kiss to Castiel’s forehead.

 

“I’ve gotta shower, but you’re more than welcome to join me.” Cas whines, hiding his face in Dean’s chest. Dean chuckles, smoothing his husband’s hair back gently. “What, baby?” Cas uncovers his face enough to fix his husband with a glare.

 

“Why do you have to tempt me with your stupid gorgeous body and your perfect cock?” Dean laughs, a full body rumble that makes a smile twitch at the corners of Cas’s mouth.

 

“Cause you’re adorable and grumpy in the morning and I really want your cock in my mouth. Although, I  _ could _ be persuaded to blow you before my shower.” Cas glares at him, huffing softly and shoving at Dean’s shoulder. 

 

“You’re an asshole. Just go get in the shower, I’ll be there in a second.” Dean grins, tilting Cas’s face to him and kissing him gently. He hums happily, nuzzling his nose against Cas’s cheek for a moment before rolling out of bed and walking to their en suite. Cas grumbles quietly to himself, rubbing his face and letting out a loud sigh directed in Dean’s direction. He can hear a soft chuckle just before the shower turns on, so he rolls out of bed and runs a hand through his hair as he walks to the bathroom. He slides his boxer-briefs off, tugging the shower door open and stepping in behind Dean, who turns and presses a kiss to the tip of his nose.

 

“Hi there. So, that blow job…?” Castiel hums, brushing a hand through Dean’s hair lightly.

 

“I won’t stop you.” Dean grins, pressing a kiss to Cas’s lips quickly before pushing them both out of the water’s reach and dropping to his knees. He doesn’t hesitate to wrap his hand around Cas’s cock, his teeth gently brushing along the skin covering his hip bone. Cas lets out a soft sigh, leaning back against the wall and letting his eyes flutter closed despite the jarring coldness of the tile. Dean hums softly, sucking a mark onto Cas’s hip as he slowly strokes him to hardness, brushing his lips against the head lighty. Cas lets out a softly hum of appreciation at the feeling of Dean’s lips on his cock, his hand drifting down to take hold of Dean’s hair. He grips tighter when Dean effortlessly swallows him down, a soft moan tumbling from his lips. Dean smirks, relishing the heavy weight of Cas’s cock on his tongue. He lets his eyes drift closed, shuffling forward on his knees and gripping Cas’s hips lightly.

 

With the practice that comes with a nearly five year relationship, Dean has him teetering on the edge within minutes. A soft groan tumbles from Cas’s mouth each time Dean’s tongue flicks over his slit, and he forces his eyes open to gaze down at his husband.

 

“God, what I wouldn’t give to fuck you right now.” It’s Dean’s turn to groan, the feeling reverberating down the length of Cas’s cock, making him shiver. He whines softly when he feels Dean’s mouth leave his cock.

 

“Why don’t you?” Cas snorts in spite of himself, meeting Dean’s gaze.

 

“Uh, do you  _ remember _ what happened last time we tried to fuck in the shower? I fell and almost broke my wrist, and you  _ did _ break a finger.” Dean’s face flushes a beautiful bright red at that, and Cas chuckles, carding his fingers through his husband’s hair.

 

“Shhhhh! As far as everyone else knows, I broke my finger cause I got it stuck in the Impala when I was workin’ on her.” Castiel laughs, rubbing his eyes.

 

“You told everyone you broke it working on your car? How is that  _ less _ embarrassing than breaking it during a failed attempt at sex?” Dean huffs, pushing himself to his feet and grabbing his shampoo.

 

“I don’t know, man, it just is. If I walked into work and told them I fractured my finger because we tried to fuck in the shower and completely failed at it, I’m pretty sure half of my coworkers would die of laughter.” Castiel tosses him a smirk, shrugging.

 

“At least it would be in an emergency room, you should have no problem reviving them.” Dean shoots him a glare, which Castiel simply answers with a grin. Dean rolls his eyes, shaking his head and washing his hair. Cas pouts, wrapping a hand around his own cock and stroking lazily. Dean chuckles, tilting his head back and closing his eyes, rinsing his hair out.

 

“Dude, c’mon, don’t get yourself off yet. Finish your damn shower so you can bend me over the counter.” Cas’s eyebrows raise at that, but he releases his cock nonetheless and takes the shampoo from Dean, washing his own hair. He steps under the spray to rinse his hair while Dean washes himself. A soft moan from his direction causes Cas’s eyes to snap open, looking his husband over slowly. Dean simply smirks. “Shower. Finish. C’mon.” Cas huffs, grabbing the body wash from Dean, washing himself quickly and thoroughly. He motions for Dean to rise himself off as he steps out of the shower, grabbing a towel and drying himself off. Dean smirks, rinsing himself off and shutting the water off, stepping out of the shower and taking the towel Cas offers him. He barely gets himself dried off before Cas shifts everything on the counter and bends Dean over it roughly, smirking and grinding his cock against the swell of Dean’s ass. Dean whines softly, grabbing a bottle of lube off the counter and handing it to Cas.

 

“Awfully eager this morning, hm?” Cas smirks, brushing his thumb along Dean’s hole. “Good dream or somethin?” Dean hums, pushing his hips back.

 

“Real good. Mmm, come on, want your cock already baby, please?” Cas hums, pressing his thumb in slightly, palming Dean’s ass with his other hand. He leans forward, nipping Dean’s earlobe. 

 

“Tell me what your dream was about, hmm? Tell me what I did to you.” Dean bites his lip, tilting his head so Cas can get to his neck.

 

“How do you know it wasn’t me doing something to you?” Cas smirks, biting the joint of Dean’s shoulder and neck gently before sucking a mark there.

 

“You never get this worked up from a dream unless it was me doing the fucking.” Dean flushes down his chest, hiding his face in his arms. Cas simply smirks, licking over the mark gently. “Also, the fact that you asked me to fuck you gave it away, I know how much you hate prepping yourself.” Dean hums in agreement, pushing his hips back.

 

“If I tell you what the dream was, will you fuck me?” Cas grins, popping the cap on the lube and slicking his cock.

 

“Oh, I’ll do you one better. I’ll fuck you while you’re telling me, and once you finish,  _ then _ you can come.” A soft whine escapes Dean’s lips, but he nods nonetheless. Cas smirks, gripping Dean’s hip with his clean hand, guiding his cock into him gently. Dean lets out a quiet moan, meeting Cas’s eyes in the mirror.

 

“Fuck Cas, c’mon,  _ move _ .” Cas smirks but complies, pulling out to the tip before slamming his hips forward roughly, pulling a high-pitched moan from Dean. He rubs his thumbs along Dean’s hips, keeping himself still. 

 

“I’ll move, but you’re going to have to talk if you want me to keep moving.” Dean whines but quickly complies, the contents of his dream spilling from his lips faster than Cas can keep up. Cas hums, pinching his ass. “Slower, dear.” Dean groans exasperatedly at the pet name, but nods slowly. Castiel hums, rocking his hips in a slow, steady pace as Dean recounts his dream, gripping the counter tightly when Cas’s thrusts pick up. He moans his way through the end of the dream, his entire body shuddering when Cas’s hand wraps around his cock.

 

“God, Cas, please, wanna come so bad…” He rocks his hips down into Cas’s hand then back to meet his thrusts, a loud moan echoing around the bathroom a moment later when he spills over Cas’s hand. “Fuck,  _ fuck _ , baby, come on, wanna feel you come…” Cas bites his lip, digging his nails into Dean’s hips, grinding his hips forward a few more times before coming with a low groan. 

 

They both take a moment to catch their breath before Cas lets go of Dean’s hips and pulls his cock out of Dean gently, pressing a kiss to his shoulder blade. Dean hums, pushing himself off the counter and turning, pulling Cas to him and kissing him roughly. Cas sighs into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Dean’s waist, pulling him close. They break away after a minute, small smiles of each of their faces. 

 

“You should really get ready for work, Dr. Winchester. You’ll be late.” Dean hums, brushing his nose against Cas’s jaw.

 

“Does things when you use that authoritative tone with me, y’know.” Cas snorts, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Really? I never would have guessed.” Dean chuckles, shoving his shoulder gently.

 

“You’re a dick. Can’t believe you gave me a hickey. What are you, twelve?” Cas scoffs, tugging on boxer-briefs.

 

“ _ You _ gave  _ me _ a hickey!” He points to the mark on his hip, huffing. Dean grins, shrugging and tugging on his boxers, grabbing his dress pants and shirt, getting dressed. Cas sticks his tongue out at him, tugging on jeans and one of Dean’s sweatshirts. They eat breakfast together before Dean heads to work. Cas cleans up the dishes from breakfast before he leaves, getting to the bakery just as the influx of customers starts. 

 

They both get home after six. Dean picked up dinner on his way home, so they eat quickly and spend the night making cookies. Dean's brother, Sam, and his fiancée are arriving the following morning, and Cas’s parents are flying in that night. They head to bed early in an attempt to stock up on sleep before their families arrive.


	8. Chapter 8

They meet up with Sam and his fiancée Sarah before they head to the bar on main street for trivia night. They get a table big enough for the four of them, as well as Charlie and Dorothy, Donna and her husband, and a few of their other friends from high school. They end up winning, mostly due to Charlie and Dean’s knowledge of all things geek. Just as they’re leaving the bar, Cas’s mother calls to tell them they’ve landed. Cas offers to pick them up, much to Dean’s dismay. He ushers Dean into the car, directing him to the airport.

 

“Babe, your mom hates me. Why can’t they take an Uber or somethin’?” Cas chuckles, leaning over and taking Dean’s hand.

 

“She doesn’t hate you, Dean. She’s still not entirely comfortable with the fact that I married-”

 

“A guy?” Cas snorts, squeezing his hand gently.

 

“No, that I married _you_ , in particular. I think she’s under the impression that you’re beneath me, but I don’t know what gave her that idea.” Dean smirks, glancing at Cas quickly.

 

“Well, yesterday morning she wouldn’t have been wrong.” Cas rolls his eyes, shoving Dean gently.

 

“Asshat.” Dean laughs, squeezing Cas’s hand gently.

 

It takes them twenty minutes to get to the airport, and by the time they’re in the pickup lane, Cas’s parents have collected their luggage and are waiting just inside the door. Dean gets out and loads their luggage into the trunk while Cas greets them, opening the back door for them. Dean climbs back in the front seat, lacing his fingers with Cas’s and pulling back onto the road.

 

“So, Dean, how’s your job at the mechanics going?” Cas’s mother Naomi asks, her face buried in her phone. Dean raises an eyebrow and glances at Cas, who simply shrugs.

 

“I, uh, don’t work at a mechanic. I work in an emergency room. St. Anne’s, fifteen minutes from our house.”

 

“That’s nice, dear, I’m glad it’s going well.” Dean glances at Cas, who’s hiding a smirk, and flicks his eyes to the rearview mirror, catching Cas’s father Chuck hiding a laugh. Dean shakes his head, chuckling softly to himself.

 

“Something funny?” Naomi asks, glancing up at Dean.

 

“Uh, no, ma’am. Sorry.” Cas snorts, shifting closer and resting his head on Dean’s shoulder.

 

“Ma’am? When did you become such a southern gentleman?” Cas taunts, a grin spreading across his face. Dean rolls his eyes, nudging Cas’s chest gently.

 

“Dick.” Cas grins, pressing a kiss to Dean’s cheek.

 

“Excuse me, that’s no way to talk about my son. Especially when he’s the one carrying the relationship.” Naomi mutters, not bothering to glance up from her phone.

 

“No, come on, don’t start.” Chuck says softly, sighing.

 

“Why? It’s true.”

 

“Mom, really? Why do you assume I’m the one carrying the relationship?”

 

“Well it’s obvious you do, I’m sure he doesn’t make much money as a mechanic.”

 

“He worked part-time as a mechanic while he was finishing medical school, Mom, he hasn’t been a mechanic in over four years.”

 

“That’s nice, dear.” Cas opens his mouth to object, but Dean nudges him and shakes his head, keeping his voice soft enough so only Cas can hear.

 

“Don’t worry about it, baby, it’s fine. I promise. Just let it go, hm?” Castiel sighs but relents, going quiet and leaning his head on Dean’s shoulder for the duration of the drive.

 

They get Cas’s parents settled into the guest room before heading to bed. They curl under the blankets together, Dean’s head pillowed on Cas’s chest.

 

“I’m sorry about my mother. She-” Dean stops him with a gentle kiss, smiling softly.

 

“Don’t worry about it, hon. Seriously. It’s okay.” Cas sighs, brushing his fingers through Dean’s hair.

 

“It isn’t. She shouldn’t treat you like that just because she doesn’t want to get to know you.”

 

“Babe, honestly, it’s all good. I promise.” He shifts, resting a hand over Cas’s heart and kissing him gently. “I love you. Let’s just get some sleep, hm? I’ve got a killer date planned for us tomorrow.” Cas smiles, nodding and kissing Dean’s forehead gently.

 

“I can’t wait. I love you too. Goodnight.”

 

They spend the morning and most of the afternoon of the 23rd at the zoo near their house, looking at the Christmas decorations and watching the animals. They’re heading back to the car when Dean’s cell phone rings. He fishes it out of his pocket, raising his eyebrows when he sees it’s Eva. He answers it, getting in the car and putting it on speaker.

 

“Eva, hey, everything alright?” Cas glances at him, his gaze full of concern.

 

“Everything’s great, actually. Listen, a last-minute slot opened up at the courthouse, can you guys be here in fifteen minutes?” They glance at each other, a short shrug their only means of communication.

 

“Yeah, sure. Do we need to bring anything? Dress up or somethin’?”

 

“No, just show up and be yourselves. The judge just needs to approve the adoption. If all goes well, you can take them straight from the courthouse.”

 

“Wait, really? We might have them today?” Cas asks, glancing over at Dean.

 

“Hopefully, yes. I’ve got to go, but I’ll see you two soon.” A click on the line signals the end of their conversation, so Dean locks his phone and sets it on the seat between him and Cas, starting the car and driving to the courthouse, swinging by their house to grab the car seats from the garage.

 

“Dean, what are we going to do? We don’t have an extra bed for them, we don’t have clothes or anything, we don’t even have a room for them.”

 

“Babe, relax. The couch in the living room is a pull-out, and we can pick a few things up tomorrow to tide us over until after Christmas.”

 

“Oh my god, Dean, Christmas. We don’t have anything for them.” Dean chuckles softly, reaching over and taking Cas’s hand in his own.

 

“Cas, hon, you gotta relax. Everything’ll work out, alright? We’ll make it work. We can pick up a few things tomorrow. We’ll deal with it all as it comes, alright?” Cas nods slowly, squeezing Dean’s hand gently.

 

They make it to the courthouse, smiling nervously at Eva when she waves from the top step.

 

“Hey, what’s with the nervous looks, guys?”

 

“We’ve just got a few things we need to sort out. Just nervous we’re not gonna get them.” Dean says, giving Cas’s arm a reassuring squeeze. Eva smiles gently, squeezing their shoulders reassuringly.

 

“It’s gonna be fine, I’ve got a good feeling about this one.” Cas slips his hand into Dean’s, and the two of them follow Eva into the courtroom. She motions for them to take a seat, sitting at the table in front of them. Jack gasps when he sees them, a bright grin spreading across his face as he and Claire wave. Dean and Cas both smile and wave back, squeezing each other’s hands gently.

 

“Alright Ms. Winthrop, what’s today’s file?” Eva smiles, standing and greeting the judge.

 

“An adoption of Claire and Jack Reilly. All the paperwork’s filled out and the adoptive parents are vetted and approved.” The judge nods, glancing at Claire and Jack’s lawyer.

 

“Any objections on behalf of the children?”

 

“No. There’s no living family and the children stayed with the Winchesters while they were waiting for beds in the children’s home, so they’re acclimated to both adoptive parents and the house.”

 

“Excellent. I’ll go review the documents in my chambers and be back in half an hour.” He takes the documents from both lawyers, leaving through the door in the back of the courtroom. Dean grips Cas’s hand a bit tighter.

 

“Is that supposed to happen?” Eva smiles, squeezing Dean’s arm gently.

 

“Yeah, it’s completely normal. Don’t worry about it. Everything’s filled out and you’re approved. It helps that the kids already stayed with you.” Dean nods, sighing softly in relief.

 

It only takes the judge fifteen minutes to come back. He hands back the files, taking his seat.

 

“Do the kids have anything they’d like to say?” Jack pouts at his lawyer, standing wobbily.

 

“I wan’ Caf an’ De, pwease.” Dean and Cas grin to themselves, waving at Jack when he turns to look at them. The judge smiles, nodding and shifting in his seat.

 

“Then I see no problem with granting custody to Dean and Castiel Winchester. Enjoy your night, everyone. Happy holidays.” He judge excuses himself to chambers and the kids’ lawyer leads them over to Dean and Cas. Jack grins up at them, crawling onto the bench and hugging them both. Cas grins, pressing a kiss to his head gently.

 

“Hi, Jack. You guys ready to come home?” Claire grins, nodding and taking Dean’s hand.

 

“Yes please. We missed you.” Dean smiles, standing and lifting Claire up at the same time that Cas lifts Jack up. They thank Eva, grinning to themselves as they walk to the car with the kids. They gets the kids buckled into their car seats before climbing in the front seat and driving home.

 

“Do we get t’stay fowever?” Jack asks, glancing at Dean and Cas in the rearview mirror.

 

“Yeah, little man, you do. Is that okay with you?” Jack grins and nods, looking out the window. They get home within a few minutes, unbuckling the kids and setting them on their feet, and Dean locks up the car while Cas unlocks the front door, letting the kids inside.

 

“My parents are staying in the guest room, so you guys will have to sleep down here on the couch, is that alright? We can go get a bed tomorrow and put it together and then we can get you both set up once my parents leave.” Claire nods, humming happily and grinning when she spots the cookies on the counter, glancing at Cas.

 

“Can we have cookies?” Dean chuckles, kissing Cas’s cheek and walking to the kitchen, starting on dinner. Cas hums, nodding and grabbing the container of cookies.

 

“One each. You can have more after dinner, alright?’ Both kids grin, taking a cookie from Cas and running to the living room. Cas grins to himself, wrapping his arms around Dean’s neck and kissing him gently.

 

“I can’t believe it. They’re _ours_ , Dean.” Dean grins, kissing Cas’s forehead.

 

“I know. Exciting, isn’t it?’ Cas nods, sighing happily and tucking his head under Dean’s chin.

 

They eat dinner with Cas’s parents and the kids, setting up the pull-out bed once the kids get tired. Dean and Cas each read them a book before tucking them in and kissing their foreheads gently. They head upstairs hand in hand, crawling under the blankets together and falling asleep.

 

They wake up early the next morning, getting showered and dressed. Dean makes breakfast for them while Cas gets the kids ready. They eat breakfast together before piling into Cas’s truck and heading to Ikea. They let Claire pick out the bed since Dean’s office will be turned into her room, then take them shopping for clothes and other necessities. They lets the kids pick out a few toys for Christmas, adding a few things to the cart when their backs are turned. They pay for everything, putting the bags in the back with everything else and getting the kids buckled into their car seats, climbing in the front seat. Cas keeps them occupied while Dean wraps their presents upstairs, setting them under the tree when he’s done. Cas excuses himself to make lunch for them, helping the kids into their seats when it’s finished. Dean smiles to himself, taking the opportunity to pull Cas’s chair out for him. Cas thanks him, smiling and kissing him quickly before sitting, dishing himself and the kids up. Dean dishes himself up before he sits, smiling and listening to the kids talk while they eat. They spend the afternoon playing with the kids, grinning to themselves. Dean suggests they sleep under the Christmas tree together with the kids, who are quick to agree with the idea, crawling on Cas’s lap and begging him to sleep under the tree with them. Cas pretends to think about it but ultimately agrees, smiling to himself when the kids both cheer. They get the kids ready for bed, taking turns getting themselves ready and making up a bed for all four of them on the floor. They talk for a while before ushering the kids under the pile of blankets, crawling under with them. They all drift off within minutes, excited for the next day.


	9. Chapter 9

Claire is the first one awake the next morning, well after nine. She smiles to herself, staying where she is and watching the twinkling lights on the Christmas tree above them. She smiles at Jack when he wakes up, taking his hand and squeezing it gently. Dean’s awake not long after, forcing himself to get up and make a pot of coffee in an attempt to avoid Castiel at his most grumpy. He lets the kids choose what they want for breakfast, grinning when they ask for chocolate chip pancakes. He lifts them onto the counter, letting them help put the pancake batter together. He lets Jack dump in a few extra chocolate chips, promising that it’s just between the three of them. 

 

The smell of freshly-brewed coffee and chocolate chip pancakes is what finally rouses Cas. He joins them in the kitchen, pressing a kiss to Dean’s cheek and ruffling Jack’s hair gently, saying good morning to Claire. He grabs plates for everyone, setting the table and pouring himself a mug of coffee, sighing and wrapping his hands around the ceramic, savoring the warmth. 

 

Just as they’re cleaning the dishes from breakfast, Sam and Sarah arrive, with Dean’s parents, Mary and John, not far behind. Dean and Cas help them bring all their gifts inside, setting them under the tree and introducing Claire and Jack to everyone. Cas’s brothers arrive not long after, setting their gifts under the tree and greeting everyone. Cas’s nieces and nephews run off with Claire and Jack, who seem thrilled to have kids their age to play with. Dean and Cas sit with everyone, explaining how they were able to adopt Claire and Jack, keeping an eye on the group of kids. Dean gets up after a while to put the turkey in the oven for dinner, calling the kids back so everyone can open their gifts.

 

An hour later, it looks like a wrapping paper bomb exploded in their living room. Cas grabs a garbage bag from the kitchen, holding it while all the kids clean up the wrapping paper. The adults relocate to the kitchen to work on dinner while the kids stay in the living room, playing with their new toys. They get everything cooked and the table set for everyone before they call the kids in to wash their hands and take their seats. They all chat while they eat, Dean’s hand finding its way to Cas’s knee, giving a gentle squeeze. Cas smiles softly, kissing Dean’s cheek and resting his hand over Dean’s, enjoying having both of their families together.

 

By the time everyone’s ready to leave, half the kids are passed out on the floor by the Christmas tree and half are running around on a sugar high. Thankfully for Dean and Cas, Claire and Jack are the former, fast asleep on the pile of blankets on the floor. They say goodnight to everyone, making sure they get to their cars safely before closing and locking the door, lifting Claire and Jack up gently and getting them settled on the pull-out bed. They tuck both kids in, setting Jack’s bear next to him and switching the lights on the Christmas tree off. They head upstairs together, Dean’s arm around Cas’s shoulders. They get ready for bed silently, the contentment radiating off both of them. They curl under the blankets together, smiling and snuggling close. Dean wraps Cas in a tight hug, kissing his head and sighing happily.

 

“This was so perfect. All of it, ‘specially having Claire and Jack here.” Cas nods in agreement, wrapping his arms around Dean’s middle.

 

“Yeah, it was. Absolutely perfect.” Dean hums, leaning his head on Cas’s and closing his eyes.

 

“Love you so much. Sweet dreams, angel.” Cas smiles softly at the pet name, pressing a kiss to Dean’s collarbone.

 

“Goodnight. I love you too, more than anything.” Dean smiles, pulling the blankets higher over them, letting himself drift off with his husband in his arms. 


	10. Epilogue

“You locked the door, right? We’ve only got half an hour before everyone gets here, we don’t really have time to be interrupted by small humans.” Cas grins, straddling Dean’s hips and tugging his own shirt off.

 

“Small humans? Is that what we’re calling them?” Dean shrugs, grinning and brushing his fingers down Cas’s chest, tweaking a nipple playfully and laughing softly when Cas arches away from the sensation. “You’re such an ass. You know, I know all  _ your _ sensitive places, I could make this hell for you.” Dean shrugs, flashing him a brilliant grin.

 

“Yeah, but you love me, you’d never do that.” Cas rolls his eyes, tickling Dean’s side. Dean gasps in surprise, trying to squirm away from Cas’s fingers, realizing too late that he’s trapped where he is by Cas’s thighs. Cas smirks when he sees the realization flash across Dean’s face, continuing to tickle his side. “N-no, Cas, st-stop!” He tries to muffle his laughter, pushing Cas’s hand away from his side and quickly covering it with his own arm. Cas laughs, leaning over him and grabbing the bottle of lube from his nightstand.

 

“Don’t be an ass and we won’t have a problem.” Dean huffs, sticking his tongue out at Cas, but spreading his legs as soon as he hears the pop of the cap on the lube bottle. Cas preps him as quickly and thoroughly as he can, glaring at Dean each time his moans get a bit too loud. He pulls his fingers out when Dean’s prepped enough for his liking, leaning over Dean and hovering so close that their noses brush. “Do I need to get you something to put in your mouth to keep quiet?” Dean’s tongue flicks out to wet his lips, and Cas watches his throat bob as he swallows. 

 

“N-no, I’ll be okay.” Cas smirks, nodding and covering his cock generously in lube, settling back between Dean’s legs. He gently eases his cock into the other man, shooting him a glare when he moans loudly. Dean smiles sheepishly, biting his lip in an effort to muffle another moan. Cas chuckles, shaking his head and shifting one of Dean’s legs onto his shoulder, rocking his hips forward slowly. Dean groans quietly, shifting and gripping the back of Cas’s neck, pulling him head down and kissing him roughly. Cas groans into the kiss, gripping Dean’s hip and rocking into him harder. The shift in the angle results in his cock brushing against Dean’s prostate every few thrusts, reducing him to a whimpering mess under Castiel. 

 

“You’re so beautiful like this, Dean.  _ So _ beautiful.” Dean flushes at that, all the way down his chest, hiding his face in Castiel’s neck. Cas smirks, digging his nails into Dean’s hip gently, rocking his hips forward roughly, letting Dean muffle his moans against Cas’s shoulder.

 

“Fuck, Cas, just like that…” Cas snorts, nipping at Dean’s neck.

 

“Really? I totally couldn’t tell you were enjoying it. Like, at all, I’m so glad you said something.” Dean scoffs, laughing and shoving Cas’s shoulder.

 

“You’re an asshole, Cas.” Cas grins, capturing Dean’s lips with his own in a gentle kiss.

 

“Yes, but you love me.” Dean grumbles under his breath but agrees, pulling Cas’s mouth back to his. Dean rocks his hips to meet Cas’s thrusts, mumbling a warning against Cas’s lips before spilling between them with a soft moan of Cas’s name. Castiel follows a few moments later, groaning softly and rocking his hips gently a few more times. He lets go of Dean’s leg, pushing himself out of the bed and grabbing a washcloth from the bathroom. He cleans Dean off gently, pressing a kiss to the tip of Dean’s nose. He gets a sated smile in response before Dean’s arms snake out and pull Cas down on top of him, a contented sigh the only sound in the room. Cas smiles and stays where he is for a moment, relishing the feeling of Dean’s body pressed against his. They’re interrupted by tiny fists knocking on their door, alerting them that the kids are awake from their naps and they need to get dressed again, much to both men’s dismay. They dress quickly, sharing a few kisses on their way to the door, straightening their clothes quickly before they unlock it and greet their kids. They let them lead the way downstairs, Dean’s hand sliding into Cas’s gently. They set snacks out on the coffee table in the living room, letting the kids answer the doorbell when everyone starts arriving. Everyone crowds into their living room, with the kids again wandering off to play with Cas’s nieces and nephews. 

 

Dean and Cas spend most of the evening curled against each other on the couch, chatting with their families and keeping an eye on the kids, smiling happily at each other whenever their eyes meet. They switch the TV on at eight, more for background noise than anything else, watching a few of the musicians perform. The kids pass out in a group on the floor near the Christmas tree, and at some point someone drapes a blanket over all of them. Dean smiles to himself, fishing his phone out of his pocket and taking a few pictures of them. 

 

Mary’s the one to gently wake them all just before midnight. Claire and Jack crawl onto the couch, snuggling in between Dean and Cas, their eyes glued to the TV screen with a look of utter fascination in their eyes. Dean and Cas smile at each other over their heads, lacing their fingers on the back of the couch. Both Claire and Jack jump in surprise when everyone cheers at midnight, glancing up at Dean and Castiel in confusion. Dean chuckles, kissing Jack’s head and softly explaining that it’s the beginning of the next year, which is why everyone cheered. Jack nods his understanding, cuddling farther into Dean’s side. Claire hums and nods, rubbing her eyes.    
  
“We never did this at home. It’s really late.” Cas chuckles and nods, smoothing her hair back gently.

 

“It’s very late. Would you two like to go to bed?” Jack nods, his face scrunching up in a big yawn. Dean chuckles quietly, standing and lifting him up gently. Cas does the same with Claire, letting them say goodnight to everyone before trudging up the stairs with them. They set the kids in their bathroom, letting them get changed and brush their teeth before taking Claire to her room at the end of the hall and Jack to his room across the hall from Dean and Cas’s. Both kids are asleep nearly as soon as their heads hit their pillows. Dean and Cas tuck them both in, dropping gentle kisses to their foreheads and switching their nightlights on when they leave the rooms. They head back downstairs, wishing everyone a happy new year and a safe trip home. 

 

They lock up once everyone’s left, moving the dishes to the sink and putting away the leftover snacks. They don’t get upstairs until well after one in the morning, and both are way too exhausted to do much beyond brush their teeth and take their clothes off. Dean’s the first ready, so he slides under the blankets and holds them up for Cas to join him, pulling the man closer and kissing him gently.

 

“Happy new year, Cas. Can’t wait to spend a whole nother year with you.” Cas smiles fondly, wrapping his arms around Dean’s middle, snuggling close.

 

“The feeling’s mutual. Happy new year, Dean. I love you.” Dean returns the sentiment, keeping Castiel close as they both drift to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr [here(:](https://fangirlingtodeath513.tumblr.com/)
> 
> If you'd like to reblog this fic on Tumblr, you can find my Tumblr post [here!](https://fangirlingtodeath513.tumblr.com/post/169180891789/rating-mature-words-18028-tags-switchdean)
> 
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